Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an area-based tool used to manage and protect areas along the coasts and ocean that face impacts from development and climate change. Local communities both impact and are affected by the creation of MPAs and as such, it is important to include their knowledge and...
In September 2016, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration initiated an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to re-evaluate the long-term strategies for managing the Columbia River System Operations (CRSO). Most notably, these strategies included an option to remove four dams along the Lower Snake...
A product of global climate change, ocean acidification (OA) and other stressors increasingly put pressure on the economic, social, and cultural systems of Western U.S. coastal communities. In the face of increasing OA and local reports that OA is negatively impacting local communities’ socioeconomic structures, there is a clear need...
Reports, both anecdotal and empirical, indicate a rise in anti-Asian sentiments, including hate crimes, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase of such discrimination and hate may be attributed to negative perceptions of the origins of the COVID-19 virus. During the pandemic, the use of stigmatizing language, such...
To meet growing energy demands and climate change goals, the use of renewable energy is increasingly becoming a policy priority globally, nationally, and at the state levels. In Oregon, the use of marine renewable energy and offshore wind remains part of this discussion but has yet to result in operational...
This study seeks to examine the participation and representation of stakeholders involved in the Southern Resident Killer Whale Task Force during their first year, culminating in the publishing of their Year One Report and Recommendations for actions with the goal of moving the Southern Resident killer whales toward recovery. This...
The management of small-scale fisheries (SSF) around the world is facing increasing demands for reformation given ecological, social, and economic vulnerabilities. The governance of SSF is particularly important to foster the sustainability of these systems given that it combines regulatory instruments, interactive participation of diverse stakeholders, and the guiding values...
Environmental injustices, defined as inequitable access to fair, safe, and healthy environmental outcomes, are often rooted in issues of land management, policy decision making, and sovereignty. This results from a series of processes, including loss of land ownership, exclusionary and discriminatory zoning, and structural barriers to participation. Black, Indigenous, Communities...
The Pacific coast groundfish fishery is a diverse, important and lucrative commercial and recreational fishery. Part of this fishery’s monitoring process includes regular fishery-independent surveys for stock assessment. Although these fishery-independent surveys are cost-effective, they are susceptible to scientific uncertainty, and they do not currently sample in nearshore (water depth...
The defining feature of our planet are the oceans, which make up 70% of the Earth’s surface. The importance of the ocean cannot be understated: 50% of oxygen originates from phytoplankton; heat is absorbed and redistributed by ocean currents; and hundreds of millions of people rely on the ocean for...